This invention relates to packaging, and more particularly to packaging apparatus and methods and to product handling apparatus and methods.
In current systems handling products and packages such as cartons, for example, it is common to use conveyors or transfers to convey cartons, to transfer products and to handle products. Such conveyors or transfers typically define elements such as carton or product lugs, trays, buckets or the like, where the elements are typically linked together by a drive system. Such trays, buckets, lugs or the like will be referred to herein as “elements”, i.e. carton conveying elements or product conveying elements, wherein an element is typically one of a plurality of elements disposed for movement in a path as a conveyor function. Such elements typically bear a relation to one another. That is, the elements are interconnected in a common drive system so that displacement of one element in said path causes or requires displacement of another element. This is due to the mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, electric or other form of drive which, when operated, causes all elements to move, one in relation to another.
While there have been several devices allowing one element to stop while others keep moving in a short range, or very limited area such as traveling conveyors, floating or hesitating bucket systems, variable loops or other mechanical expedients, the general limitation of having to move or index all elements defining a single conveyor throughout most of the range of movement continues. In many of these, the pitch of the elements is also a constant through at least a portion of the circuit.
In many packaging or cartoning processes, it is common to operably juxtapose one conveyor having elements, with another conveyor system having elements, and with an operable indexing of adjacent elements of the respective conveyors to provide a desired operation. Thus, for example, a carton conveyor may have a plurality of carton conveying lugs, comprising elements, carried in a path, part of which is operably aligned adjacent to a bucket conveyor having a plurality of buckets which can be filled with groups of articles to be cartoned. When a filled bucket is operably indexed, by alignment or position, acceleration and velocity, with an empty carton carried between lugs, the article group in the bucket can be transferred into the adjacent carton, such as by a pusher or other device.
Likewise, in a product handling operation, a net or sequential weigh scale weighs a product. Product receptors or elements are conveyed under the scale to receive appropriately weighed product loads from the scale, and then to a discharge location over a pouch filler wheel, for example.
While such conveyor or handling systems have worked well and have been the core of cartoning, product handling or other packaging systems, there remain inherent difficulties. For example, random events upstream of or affecting one conveyor system or packaging operation, or downstream of or affecting another conveyor system or packaging operation, can cause overall system shutdowns. For example, if there is a jam associated with feeding articles from buckets in a bucket conveyor to cartons on a carton conveyor, the whole system might be stopped or locked up until the problem is cleared. This could jam upstream production or motion or downstream operation. For example, cartons being closed or glued might be delayed in that process, requiring rejection of cartons and loads between the jams and the last fully glued carton. Moreover, if there is a problem or jam at one conveyor position, all conveyor “elements” are, or must be stopped, inherently.
Also, it may be desirable to operate a product or carton or conveyor element at one speed through one area and at another speed or stop at another area. In the past, this has been possible, if at all, only through very limited ranges or areas, since motion of one conveyor element or component necessarily is linked to and subject to the motion or phase or cycle of that conveyor at another point.
Thus, the combination of both asynchronous motion and synchronous motion and all the benefits of such motions in single conveyor path are only possible in the past, if at all, through very limited ranges. Also, it can only be accomplished within the limitations of overall conveyor system inertia, which is typically a function of the sum of all conveyor elements and whatever conveyor mechanisms are employed.
Likewise, in a product handling mode, such as weighing, a receptor conveying problem can cause or require load rejection and waste due to conveying aberrations unrelated to the actual weighing or product receiving operation. A receptor might receive no load, or a double load, for example.
These are but a few examples of the potential problems or difficulties inherent with typical conveyance or handling systems where the conveyor elements are inherently linked or coupled to a common drive through most of their path.
Accordingly, it is desirable to overcome these and similar difficulties in product packaging, cartoning and product handling methods and apparatus, now susceptible to these problems, and to offer at least more windows of opportunity for such difficulties to be cleared, or operational benefits to be provided.